When Lea Michele first found out about Cory Monteith's death, the person she turned to for help getting through the tough time was her "Glee" costar Kate Hudson.

In a new interview with Elle, Michele reveals that she reached out to her onscreen dance teacher almost immediately after she found out Monteith had died. "I called her and said, I don't know where I'm going to go because my house is swarmed [with reporters.] She was like, 'Oh, you're going to stay at my house.' Like it was nothing," Michele says.

She continues, "She let my family stay there, and any of my friends. She made sure that in the refrigerator were my favorite juices. ... I'll never really be able to thank her, truly, for what she did for me."

Michele also opens up about her relationship with Monteith, saying they first briefly dated back when "Glee" first started but didn't decide to go public with their relationship until 2011. In the months since Monteith's death, Michele says she has chosen "to rise."

"It's very hard. And you have to be very strong to come out of this alive, but I think by doing the best for myself, by showing that you don't have to lose yourself, maybe someone else will feel some sort of strength or comfort," she says. "I know that Cory would want nothing more than for me to take this situation and use it to help people."